LittleGreyCat

Just cast your beady eyes over these:

2003 ATLAS SAHARA SUPER 28 x12 in Milford on Sea | Auto Trader Caravans

and

2007 WILLERBY WINCHESTER free delivery in Hull | Auto Trader Caravans

These are static caravans (probably not a NZ concept) which have all modern facilities including mains bathrooms, full kitchens, central heating.

Ideal to site on a section whilst you wait to save up for your real building.

Or perhaps for a few years?

As I understand it there is enough chassis to tow it (so it is officially a caravan) but everyone moves them around on lorries.

The main thing is the price; they are amazingly cheap second hand because the site owner usually sells a new static caravan as part of the deal for a permanent site. So second hand vans are basically homeless. No good for touring so they need a static site.

They are often used by people who are living on a building/renovation site as temporary accommodation.

I've never seen the equivalent in NZ (in the UK you can find sea side holiday sites with thousands of the buggers).

See https://www.park-resorts.com/holiday...ire/southview/ for an example.

Is this a business opportunity or is there a hidden flaw?

Pulaski

Static caravans exist in the legal hinterland between mobile caravans (towed behind a car), and conventional homes. Other countries (outside the UK) may have idiosyncratic ways of dealing with "static caravans", that might include tax issues, the permissability of connecting water, power, and drains, whether they can be approved as fit for habitation, whether they meet building codes for strength and weather resistance, what sort of planning permission might be required, etc.

I wouldn't recommend shipping such a structure all the way from the UK before determining beyond any doubt that a static caravan is going to be acceptable in NZ.

MrsFychan

there is a static van home site in Paraparaumu so guessing its not unusual in NZ

SSky

I plan to do this in the future, just for myself mind. I did a bit of research a few years back now and the only ones I could find in NZ were selling at $50k+.
Maybe bringing 2 over would be the way to go, one for personal use and the second to pay for all the shipping etc, etc. If you buy land (lifestyle block, not a section) I think you just need a permit to park it on there and it's not such a long and expensive process as actual planning permission but who knows, things may have changed. My research is years old now.
We already have a septic system for waste and power sorted on our block but if it was a new unbuilt on lifestyle block I suppose you would have to prove that your power and waste disposal was legal.

skybluestu

Most of the second hand caravans coming of a site in the UK will due to the salt water / sea side environment will have a very rusty chassis. (we had had one for many years) I think a lot of money would need to be spent to try to get it past a MAF inspection

escapedtonz

Haven't seen any statics in NZ that I can remember. Bigger and older touring caravans that are fixed in place yes, but not proper statics. Definitely not an NZ concept.
Yes they have a chassis but they are not capable of being towed unless you wish to destroy it quickly. Not strong enough and they don't meet regulations to be on the road. They don't have brakes other than a light hand brake or lights/indicators/reflectors, which is why they are always transported on a truck. The jockey wheel is also fixed in place I think which is why they are jacked up a bit when sited.

I think it's a flawed idea and you'd be wasting your time and money bringing any here.

Would be a good idea to have one on a section whilst building assuming your covenants allow such a structure, it meets council regulations and you can get a permit for it.
However, it wouldn't be any more expensive to have (no bigger than) 60 square metre building on site that doesn't need council consent.

Justcol

8m x 3m Portable office / shop / room | Trade Me

Justcol

I've seen batches that were built out of pallets, beer crates, tin sheeting and driftwood
surely a static would be an improvement on those "legal properties"

mickey_d

Cosalt Rimini 35ft Static Caravan - UK-Caravans.co.nz

Bo-Jangles

I have no idea how prices or specs compare but you most certainly can get 'relocatable' homes in NZ. e.g. https://www.keithhayhomes.co.nz/ and there's no shortage of kitset and cheap, or supposedly 'temporary' style accommodation such as Barnhouses - Kitset Barn Homes, Barn Houses | Totalspan

However it could be a risky proposition to bring a 'park home' or similar relocatable unit from the UK without knowing for sure that you have somewhere it can be used. You can't simply pitch up a relocatable home on any given section or piece of land of your choosing and it may actually be quite tricky to find somewhere that you could locate it, unless going rural.

Oftentimes there will be a covenant on new sections and subdivisions that specifically restricts its use to that of a 'proper' or certain size of house and may specifically state that the owner of the land cannot use a caravan, transportable or relocatable building on the land for the purpose of housing.

Damson

I've got one here in the UK you can have littlegreycat, although you probably wouldn't want it. Sadly, after owning it for 5 of its 15 years, the pitch agreement at the holiday park has ended and we have to get rid of it next month and are absolutely gutted. We understand though as she is pretty tatty externally, now but is certainly still in perfectly serviceable condition. Oh well. As an aside, when we were over there driving to Napier we got stuck behind a police-escorted "abnormal load", which was a prefabricated house. Luckily we weren't in a rush and could just sit and sympathise with the driver. I don't know the cost of these structures compared to shipping a static there, but that may be a cheaper way forward?


Edit, sorry Bo-Jangles hadn't spotted the link. Would be interested in how much they cost, but that isn't shown. As they say, if you have to ask the cost, you probably can't afford it.

escapedtonz

My step father is a time served Pemberton caravan builder - statics and tourers, and then after he was laid off back in the 80's he went in to BT Telecomms but opened his own business with an old colleague doing Caravan Improvements - repairs, modifications and insurance work etc on all manner of statics and tourers all over the North West of England. The business, at the height of the good times owned 16 statics on a site in Blackpool and another 2 on a site in Cumbria. Man those times were good. I used to go up to Blackpool every weekend with my step brother, helping out with repairs and modifications for owners vans and cleaning out our rentals at changeover/cutting the grass etc ready for the next family coming in for the week for enough pocket money to hit the amusements. Those were the times!!!

Even with my limited knowledge of them I haven't been tempted to bring a static or a tourer over here. Yes there may be money to be made (especially on tourers) but it's just too much of a gamble for me and I'm not the luckiest person in the world so decided to just give it a miss.

Damson

Aw, lovely memories. I'm hoping we've created that with our kids. We bought it the year after we went on holiday to Oz and when we asked the kids where they wanted to go the following summer, they said anywhere that didn't involve a plane. So we bought it dirt cheap, next to a beautiful lake, about a 25 minute drive away, and disappear there most weekends throughout the year except winter. We've got loads of outdoor toys there, and a water slide mat and old bikes plus board games. I'm so going to miss it.


Sorry, I digress

LittleGreyCat

Yep - used for $80,000.

Get one used in the UK for about $20,000.

Shouldn't take $60,000 to ship it out, should it?

Sparkleydiva

Fairly sure there are some in Orewa on the beach front - pretty old/tatty but still used all year round